About Us

The National Buffalo Museum is a nonprofit organization and derives operating funds from memberships, museum entrance fees, gift shop income and charitable gaming. Charitable contributions are especially important and we depend heavily on the generosity of donors to continue our youth programs, develop exhibits, and maintain our facilities. Please visit the museum during your stay in Jamestown, and, if your circumstances permit, consider lending your support.

History

The North Dakota Buffalo Foundation (NDBF), d.b.a., The National Buffalo Museum, formed in 1991 with a nine-member board and an overwhelming desire to start a herd of buffalo that would graze in the pasture just below the “World’s Largest Buffalo”. The first five animals came from Theodore Roosevelt National Park and made their home in Jamestown in 1991. A few years later the merger between the National Buffalo Association and the American Bison Association into the National Bison Association created a need for a facility to house and display numerous accumulated buffalo-related artifacts, artwork, and historical memorabilia, and the NDBF opened the National Buffalo Museum in June of 1993.

The North Dakota Buffalo Foundation is dedicated to preserving the history of the bison, as well as, promoting the bison industry of today. The museum is home to numerous art works, artifacts, and related Native American items. Visitors to the museum will see such items as: a 10,000 year old skull the original Thundering Herd oil painting, wildlife mounts including a full size buffalo mount, and numerous buffalo head mounts.